CONVICTED

As I shook his hand I knew

he wouldn’t shake his conviction.

He wouldn’t change his mind.

He was he and I was I -

and I wasn’t going to

change my mind.

I knew that. He knew that.

I knew he wouldn’t come back

to another meeting like this.

And as he walked away

I thought of other people

who have passed out

of my life like this.

Is it the way I say things?

Is it my convictions and

my inability to change?

He made me feel

like a kid selling lemonade

on the street - and it was

a cold day - anyway - and

everyone was walking by.

Being a priest can be tough stuff.

Better: being a person can be rough.

Best – being a Christian means

rejection - walking away - and the cross.

Wait a minute! Think for a moment.

Didn’t you know that? And besides

that, maybe he’s right and I’m wrong.

Hey, you never know.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2013